


[Meta] That Incident with Snape and the Whomping Willow

by cassie5squared



Series: Potter Meta: Thoughts on the Wizarding World [6]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Meta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 10:08:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11056749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cassie5squared/pseuds/cassie5squared
Summary: A somewhat lengthy dissection of what happened when Sirius told Snape about how to get under the Whomping Willow, including an analysis of when it could actually have happened.





	[Meta] That Incident with Snape and the Whomping Willow

This is quite a lengthy dissection of the scene; I’m trying to clarify and straighten out some of the information we’re given, because it seems to be a tricky thing for some people I've met to work out. This isn’t really a good thing, as it’s one of the more significant moments in the story of Snape and the Marauders’ relationship with each other.

To start with, then; Sirius, clearly not having thought things through, tells Severus how to get under the Whomping Willow. It’s entirely likely that his intention was merely to frighten Severus by letting him _hear_ a fully-grown werewolf, which, while a very nasty prank and certainly not an acceptable thing to do, is **not** the same as deliberate attempted murder by proxy. We have **no proof** that at this point, Sirius actually wanted Severus dead. We _do_ know, however, that Sirius is prone to taking action without thinking through the consequences, which makes him telling Severus about the tree very plausible behaviour.

(On a minor note, the fact that Severus actually took advice from a boy he thoroughly hated and had no reason to believe doesn’t speak too highly of him either.)

Then James finds out about it and, showing that he has rather more knowledge of Severus’s personality than Sirius did, figures that Severus would likely actually get all the way to Remus’s presence, and therefore risked being bitten or killed. So, demonstrating the kind of selfless courage that his son will later inherit in full measure, he immediately goes and literally drags his worst enemy away from the danger, risking infection or death himself in order to protect both Severus and Remus (because he knows, of course, that Remus would be absolutely horrified and broken if he harmed someone and would possibly have to be expelled or even arrested).

But Severus finds out the truth anyway and is sworn to secrecy. He’s convinced, of course, that all four of the Marauders were in on it and were trying to get him killed. Under the circumstances, he’s more or less justified; he’s not going to take their word that they weren’t, because they have a history of treating him like absolute shit and in his view this incident is just an extension of that. He’s frightened and angry and he lays the blame on the people who it’s easiest to blame. Combined with his ability to hold a grudge, it’s no wonder that even twenty years later he’s still thoroughly enraged over the whole thing.

Sirius, meanwhile, will probably be feeling quite ashamed of himself. I have no doubt that James, Remus and Peter would have verbally ripped him a new one over his complete and utter stupidity, rubbing his face in the awful reality of what could have happened. Over the years, though, it’s entirely plausible for him to try to ease the memory by twisting things round in his head so that his actions were justifiable because of Severus’s behaviour.

Unfortunately, it could also plant the seed of distrust in Remus’s mind, which blooms in full force towards the end of the war; if Sirius is capable of betraying his greatest secret, what else is he capable of? No wonder he suspected Sirius, when it became clear someone close to them was betraying the Potters; there was already evidence that one of them had given away vital information to enemies before. He’d likely also be feeling horribly guilty over having nearly hurt people, even if he didn’t know they were going to be there.

So much for the relationships between them all. It’s a wonder they weren’t more screwed up.

On another note, there seems to have been a bit of confusion over **when** the entire thing actually happened. A lot of people seem to believe it was during their sixth year at Hogwarts, based on one line from _Prisoner of Azkaban_ :

 

> “Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen,” he [Snape] breathed. “You haven’t forgotten that, Headmaster? You haven’t forgotten that he once tried to kill _me_?”

The assumption is based on Sirius’s age as stated there; children start attending Hogwarts at the age of 11, so it follows that they’d start their second year aged 12, and so on, starting their sixth year aged 16.

However, Sirius’s birthday, as J.K. Rowling revealed, is on November 3rd, which means he would have turned 16 just a couple of months into his fifth year, making it far more likely the incident occurred during that year.

This is borne out by the chapter “The Prince’s Tale” from _Deathly Hallows_ while Harry is watching Severus’s memories. There’s one conversation between Lily and Severus that reveals the incident has already happened:

 

> “…I heard what happened the other night. You went sneaking down that tunnel by the Whomping Willow, and James Potter saved you from whatever’s down there -”

This exchange occurs at some point before the scene of _Snape’s Worst Memory_ , as Lily and Severus are still friends at this point despite their arguing. Given what we know of Sirius’s age, this means the incident with the Whomping Willow **must** have occurred between November 1975 (when Sirius turned 16) and June 1976 (when the O.W.L.s for his year were held).

In conclusion: Sirius is clearly at fault but not necessarily a killer, Severus is guilty of being probably too trusting, and the entire thing happened earlier than everyone seems to assume.

I hope this helps clarify matters for anyone who’s read this far. This was a heck of a lot of fun to put together; I’ve had a lot of thoughts over this scene for a while now and they needed writing down.


End file.
